Loughborough Aces
The Loughborough Aces are a member of the British Universities American Football League (BUAFL)'s Conference 2 South Division. Since their astounding 8-0 opening BCAFL season in 1988-9, the Aces have been one of the premiere teams in the BCAFL/BUAFL. Some of Loughborough's many impressive accomplishments include: the best opening season in BCAFL history, the first team to win 100 regular season games, the best regular season winning percentage in BCAFL history, the most playoff victories in BCAFL history, a 44-4 record over six seasons from 1993-1999, finishing with a winning record in nineteen of their twenty-one seasons, eleven straight playoff appearances from 1992-2002, seven straight division championships from 1996-2002, and three College Bowl victories. A Brief History of the Aces The Aces were formed in 1987, and joined BCAFL for the start of the 1988-1989 season, where they went 8-0 before losing 21-7 in the playoffs to Hull. Loughborough went 6-2 in both 91-92 and 92-93 failing to beat Southampton in the playoffs both years. In1992-1993, a 7-1 record and an appearance in the conference final led to Andy Sweeney being named National Coach of the Year. The following season Loughborough went 7-1 again, Paul Sherratt was named league MVP, and the Aces won a College Bowl IX thriller 23-20 against Cambridge. In 1995-1996 the Aces finished with the only perfect record in the country but fell 14-7 to Leeds in the conference title game. In the 1996-97 season they had their best year so far, achieving a perfect 11-0 record, capped by a 28-19 victory against Aberystwyth in College Bowl XI. In 97-98 the Aces went 7-1 before losing 48-43 to Glasgow in the first round of the playoffs. The following season the Aces again went 7-1, they went on to beat both Lancaster and Leeds in the playoffs before losing 7-3 to Herts in College Bowl XIII. Aces MLB Paul Sherratt was named College Bowl MVP in what turned out to be a defensive battle. 1999-00 saw the Aces struggle to 6-2 in the regular season with a small squad before losing to Lancaster in the 1st round of the playoffs. 2000-01 saw a much better squad size for the Aces who, led by QB Paul Sherratt, won their division 6-2. beat Staffordshire and Teeside on the way on College Bowl XV. In a breathtaking game the Aces lost 26-23 to the Oxford Cavaliers, with TDs being scored by Jim Murphy, Leon Cordingley and Paul Sherratt with Andrew Studer adding 2 PATs and a Field Goal. In 2001-02 the Aces, led by QB Ollie Jay, went through the regular season 7-1 losing only to Oxford again but things would change. They stormed through the playoffs with good wins over the Glasgow Tigers and UCH Sharks before meeting Oxford for the second year in a row in the Bowl game. Strong running by both Leon Cordingley and Patrick Schweyen complimented by a stout Aces defence helped the Aces to a 39-22 win for the Aces. Cordingley was awarded College Bowl MVP (thanks to his 4 TD performance) to go with BCAFL League Offensive MVP. Coach Andy Sweeney was also awarded BCAFL Coach of the Year. The following year however, was not as successful. Bereft of many of their college bowl winning starters, the Aces plummeted to a 3-4 record; their only losing season in BCAFL history, during which they were soundly beaten by 46-0 by a rampant Bristol team – Loughborough’s largest ever defeat. The following year was a landmark season, for the Aces Head Coach, Andy Sweeney, became the first HC in BCAFL history to chalk up 100 wins with the revitalised Aces. A rebuilt team suffered only one loss in the regular season - to eventual college bowl finalists Staffordshire, before they were knocked out in the play-offs against Leeds. In 2004-2005 the Aces put in some strong performances on the way to the Northern Conference Final, where they met Glasgow at Garscube. Despite the long drive, and unfamiliar playing conditions, the Aces rallied twice, and went close to beating Glasgow in the dying seconds, as their field goal try was blocked. Only two periods of sudden death overtime could separate them, and when the dust settled, it was the team from Scotland who progressed to College Bowl XVIIII. The 2005-2006 season ushered in a new era at Loughborough, as Coach Sweeney retired after 15 years at the helm of the most winningest team in British College Football history. Loughborough appointed former player and Defensive Line Coach Jason Scott as his replacement. Despite predictions that the Aces’ house of cards would come toppling down under Scott, the rookie Head Coach lead the team to an unbeaten regular season in his first year, which included a 45-7 demolition of the Nottingham Outlaws in his first game. Again, the Aces reached the conference final where they met Teesside, who edged a close encounter in Loughborough. The Aces would have their revenge a year later, as they beat the Cougars on a cold and wet day in Loughborough in the conference final. To reach that stage, the Aces went unbeaten during the regular season once again, beating the 2004 college champions Hertfordshire Hurricanes and 2005 college champion Birmingham Lions along the way. Unfortunately, despite the strong running of league offensive MVP Craig Flower, and the sturdy play of College Lineman of the Year Owain Davies, the Northern Conference Champions were bested by an excellent UWE Bullets team 31-14 in the 2007 National Final. In the first season of the BUAFL the Aces once again qualified for the play-offs but were unable to proceed past the Newcastle Raiders. Matt Hampson Bowl In the summer of 2006 the Loughborough Aces were invited to play a charity game against the 1996 National Champion Leicester Panthers. The purpose of the game was to both raise money, and awareness for Matt Hampson, a talented young Rugby player who suffered a terrible injury following a training ground incident, the result of which left him paralysed from the neck down. Dreamt up by Rex Harrison and Dave Hagger (both former Panthers), the former national champions were to take on the Loughborough Aces in a one-off game at Welford Road for the Matt Hampson Trust. The Panthers were able to call on any former player who had donned the Black and Gold of Leicester - as a result they were able to recruit Rugby Legend (and former team-mate of Matt Hampson) Martin Johnson, who had played for the Panthers as a youth in 1994. They also managed to secure the services of several former American imports, and former Aces Paul Sherratt, Andy Sweeney, and Leon Cordingley. The Aces had to stick with their current roster, however, were able to call on 12 former players to assist in the game. The "Dirty Dozen" were elected as: Steve Clements, Rod Bradley, Nick Burt, Jay Cordingley, Greg Williams, Alan Bulcraig, David "Fido" Jones, Richard Cole, Richard Sinnett, Andy Studer, James Hossack and Matt Davis. The game was played in front of around 8,000 fans on 28 May 2007, with the Panthers running out 20-3 winners. A staggering total of £43,000 has been raised from the bowl game for the Matt Hampson Trust. Aces 2008-2009 Following a comparatively poor 2007-2008 season, the Aces looked towards their 21st season of competitive football with renewed purpose. A busy off-season saw Loughborough bring back several old players to join the coaching ranks. The most notable acquisition was that of Paul Sherratt who was to return as Offensive Line Coach, and Offensive Consultant. Paul was widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever to play British College Football. An inaugural member of the BCAFL hall of fame, Paul has won two College Bowl MVPs, several league awards, and has played leading roles in two of the Aces National Championships. In addition to coaching Loughborough, he has also been the Offensive Coordinator for the GB Bulldogs, and Head Coach for both the Leicester Lightning (now Longhorns) and Offensive Coordinator for the Nottingham Outlaws. In addition, the Aces brought back both Andy Studer and James Hossack to coach the Aces for their new campaign. Studer, who had to leave the team early last year due to work commitments, will return to coach the Quarterbacks, with Hossack looking after the wide-receivers on a full-time basis, now his MSc in Physiotherapy has finished. A heavy recruitment drive saw 134 prospective students sign up to the taster day, with 86 of those signing up to become full members of the team. The Aces kicked off their pre-season with a 28-22 (OT) defeat at the hands of the London O's. The regular season kicked off on the 16th November, where the Aces defeated the Derby Braves 29-6 away from home. The Aces then faced Lincoln Colonials in their homecoming games which saw large crowds watch on as the Aces emerged victorious with a scoreline of 40-8. The next game was a 31-8 defeat at Holywell to the reigning Northern champions, the Staffordshire Stallions. After the Christmas break, the Aces went to Nottingham to face the Outlaws in blizzard like conditions to emerge from the snow with an 8-0 victory under their belts. Due to the weather, some games were postponed resulting in 3 games being played between the 22nd February and 1 March. These games were all won by the Aces, 47-0 against the Hull Sharks, 42-0 against the Leicester Longhorns (in a highly publicized "Wednesday Night Lights" evening game on the rubber crumb) and 22-12 away at the Lancaster Bombers. A much reduced squad then travelled to Sheffield to play the Hallam Warriors which resulted in a 41-15 loss. The next week, Loughborough were back in Sheffield again, this time to face the Sabres in the first round of the play-offs. The Aces won 21-7, setting them up for a re-match from earlier in the season in the Conference 2 Championship at the Staffordshire Stallions home ground. After a hard fought battle and a great show from the Aces defence, Loughborough came out 26-24 victors and conference 2 champions. The Aces season came to an end in Newcastle whilst challenging for the Northern Inter-Conference Title. Although the Aces had a depleted squad due to certain members of the team choosing a holiday over the chance to play for the National Championship, they were in the game late into the fourth quarter. In the last minutes of the game, the Newcastle Raiders managed to break away from the 14-14 scoreline to win 30-14. However the Aces look set to challenge for the National Championship game in 2009-10, retaining 90% of their squad from the 2008-09 season. Team Records by Season |- |2010-11 || 8 || 0 || 0 || 1st Midlands Athletic Conference || Round 1 Bye Lost Round 2 (Birmingham Lions) |- ! Totals !! 140 !! 32 !! 2 |colspan="3"| |} External links * BUAFL * Loughborough Aces Official Site Category:BUAFL teams